Monday, January 28, 2008

Self Destruction

In our day and age we have so much information at our disposal. We have the internet, books, the library, advertisements and education. So why do so many people, take drugs, smoke, and drink excessively?

Excluding being addicted to the substances, I am going to try and explain this through a psychological point.

People do what they do, because they are instantly rewarded for doing so. Depending on what physical state/mood, they are either positively reinforced (rewarded) by feeling joy/ecstasy and satisfaction, or they are negatively reinforced by having stress removed or elation of withdrawal symptoms (negatively in the sense removal).

When you think about it like that, it is no wonder people who do that sort of thing do so. Advertisements and warnings about cancer, lung disease, brain damage have little effect, because instant gratification is much more powerful than delayed negative reinforcement (not having disease etc).

However, wouldn't it be possible that because we have so much information, we know we are not only doing ourselves harm, but the people around us, our friends and families. We can't plead ignorance. We continue to brutalize our own bodies , and punish that which sustains us.